Trump's phone number, hunted by journalists and businessmen. “I've heard of company executives offering money”
In recent weeks, the White House has received information that President Donald Trump's personal phone number may have been offered for sale to high-net-worth individuals interested in gaining influence.
Donald Trump/PHOTO: EPA-EFE
“It's honestly incredible,” a Trump administration official told The Atlantic. “I've heard of company executives offering money for his number. I have also heard of crypto investors offering crypto for him.”
Journalists, in turn, began to negotiate with each other, offering in exchange the phone numbers of other world leaders or even dozens of important contacts, just to have Trump's number in the phonebook.
“Everything is out of control,” said another official, who, like others quoted in the article, requested anonymity to speak openly on the subject.
At the start of Trump's second term, the number was known only to the president's close friends and a few journalists who rarely used it.
Now, however, so many people are calling Trump on his personal phone that his aides have given up trying to keep track of the calls.
Sometimes during meetings, the president leaves his phone with the screen up, and staff members can see the notifications quickly piling up on the screen. Only part of the calls come from numbers saved in the phone.
“It's literally call after call from reporters”said the first official. “Simply: boom, boom, boom.”
The barrage of calls gets even more intense when a journalist manages to talk to Trump and quickly publishes a small exclusive of what he said. The situation is being interpreted as a signal that Trump may be available and willing to talk.
Editors then ask reporters to get statements as well, and correspondents rush to outdo each other. “Ten reporters call within two hours”the second official said.
Donald Trump's flurry of often contradictory statements makes it difficult to convey a clear message from the administration, but his advisers say the president is comfortable in this situation and knows how to handle the press.
The White House claims Trump is “the most transparent and accessible president in history.” Before the age of social media, he used to communicate frequently by phone, sometimes making over 50 or even 100 calls a day.
“Everybody learned during Trump's first term that he's going to use his phone and talk to whoever he wants,” said journalist Chris Whipple, who is working on a book about presidential campaign managers.
